BCG mass evolution in cosmological hydro-simulations

Abstract

We analyze the stellar growth of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) produced by cosmological zoom-in hydrodynamical simulations of the formation of massive galaxy clusters. The evolution of the stellar mass content is studied considering different apertures, and tracking backwards either the main progenitor of the z = 0 BCG or that of the cluster hosting the BCG at z = 0. Both methods lead to similar results up to z ≃ 1.5. The simulated BCG masses at z = 0 are in agreement with recent observations. In the redshift interval from z = 1 to 0, we find growth factors 1.3, 1.6 and 3.6 for stellar masses within 30 kpc, 50 kpc and 10 per cent of R500, respectively. The first two factors, and, in general, the mass evolution in this redshift range, are in agreement with most recent observations. The last larger factor is similar to the growth factor obtained by a semi-analytical model (SAM). Half of the star particles that end up in the inner 50 kpc was typically formed by redshift ~3.7, while the assembly of half of the BCGs stellar mass occurs on average at lower redshifts ~1.5. This assembly redshift correlates with the mass attained by the cluster at high z ≳ 1.3, due to the broader range of the progenitor clusters at high-z. The assembly redshift of BCGs decreases with increasing apertures. Our results are compatible with the inside-out scenario. Simulated BCGs could lack intense enough star formation (SF) at high redshift, while possibly exhibit an excess of residual SF at low redshift.